Google honours legendary German artist Oscar Schlemmer with a doodle

Google is celebrating the birthday of German painter, sculptor, choreographer and designer Oskar Schlemmer today with a doodle. The German artist is known for his avant-garde ballet productions. Born on September 4, Schlemmer was exposed to design theory while he was working as an apprentice in a workshop. Wounded, while he was serving in World war-I, he returned to Stuggart. He helped in modernizing the curriculum at the Stuggart Academy of Fine Art-a place where he had studied on a scholarship. But it was in the Bauhaus school, that he created his best-known work- “Das triadisches Ballett” or “The Triadic Ballet” He named it “Triadic” to reflect the three acts, three dancers, twelve dances and eighteen costumes. The entire idea was based on the principle of Trinity. He designed the costumes based on the geometrical shapes. His ideas were reportedly “revolutionary” and the ballet was presented in a number of cities like Weimar, Berlin, and Paris. The doodle too reflects his work, showing metallic figure twirling wearing metallic masks. Schlemmer is also contributed with developing Bauhaus theatre in Dessau. This is how he had once described the themes of his work: “the human figure in space, its moving and stationary functions, sitting, lying, walking, standing” as being “as simple as they are universally valid”. Schlemmer’s association with dance influenced his painting and he painted several murals in private residences as well as public spaces. It was in 1932, that he created his well-known artwork Bauhaus Stairway. However, with growing Nazi influence in Germany, Schlemmer was dismissed from his teaching position and five of his works were included in “Degenerate Art” exhibition organised by Nazis. He died aged 54 of a heart attack while he was working at a lacquer factory. His Triadic Ballet has been revived numerous times with the original costumes. However, the music and choreography that was associated with his production were lost. A volume of diaries and letters that were edited by his wife was published in 1972.